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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Perilous creatures

Arihmere, as has been mentioned, is known for its haphazard and unlikely collection of perilous beasts. Here are a few, presented for use with Sword/Play.

Grimelocks

Could be mistaken for men in the distance, for they go on two legs. But their backs are broad and shaggy and their arms are longer, and they have only four digits on each hand. Their faces are like those of goats or sheep, though they have no horns. Grimelocks are silent; no one knows if they speak, or make their thoughts known only by grunts and howls. They are not needlessly cruel or given to mischief, but rather heedless and touchy, and they will slay any being they find within their territories. They weep during battles.
They have no true smith-craft, but arm themselves with spears and axes beaten out of stolen blades.

SKILLS: Tireless, Silent, Hunter
STAMINA: 10

Naggs

Naggs fly out of darkness, from caves or deep clefts in the ground. They have leathery wings, stretching as far as the arm-span of a man, but their beaks are long and blade-sharp. They attack by diving and are very swift, but cannot fly if wounded. They hunt for blood and sport, like wolves, and are most dangerous in packs where they will harass and slash before stooping to the kill.

SKILLS: Fly, Slash
STAMINA: 5

Trillits

Diminutive vermin, little taller than a man's knee. They scamper about in wastelands, preferring fens and marshes, where they hunt and scavenge. Oftentimes, they will attach the glowing seed pods of a knafer tree to a branch, creating a tiny, greenish light that they parade to lure the curious and unwary into sinkholes and other crude traps. They are cowardly, quick, dangerous only to those they trap when they mob their prey in large numbers, armed with sticks and sharpened stones. A trillit hole can often contain unregarded treasures as well as the leavings of their victims.

SKILLS: Sneak, Hide, Quick
STAMINA: 3

Taemsprits

Ancient, vile predatory spirits, that lurk in old tombs and bury-grounds. Having no bodies of their own, they dress themselves in grave-shirts, dust and bone, creating a vague mockery of the forms of the dead with cold blue eyes. Blades cannot wound them, unless spell-bound or forged of deep-steel. Their touch burns like ice. They cannot travel in daylight, and the wind and sun will destroy them.

SKILLS: Lurk, Terrify, Freeze
STAMINA: 20

Ourgarths

Ungainly, at least half again as tall as any man, with bulbous heads and features, and bones that are often uneven or ill-shaped. Ungainly and awkward in movement, they are easy to strike, but their thick hides and dense bones make them difficult to wound, and their great strength and terrible two-handed swords are to be feared. Surly and solitary by nature, they are unusually deft metal-smiths. They forge treasures and weapons of great worth, which they guard ferociously.